Refrigerator car ice bunker



Nov. 1, 1932. R. c. PIERCE 1,885,624

REFRIGERATOR CAR ICE BUNKER Filed Aug. 15, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 z fc' iNov. 1, 1932. R. c. PIERCE 1,385,624

REFRIGERATOR CAR ICE BUNKER Filed. Aug. 15, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 2Patented Nov. 1, 1932 um'rso- STATES PATENT FFICE RAYMOND C. PIERCE, OFCHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO GENERAL AMERICAN TANK CAR CORPORATION, OFCHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF WEST VIRGINIA REFRIGERATOR CAR ICEBUNKER Application filed August 15, 1931. Serial No. 557,393.

One of my objects is to augment the refrigerating effect of the ice onthe air supplied to the bunker for delivery. in refrigerated conditiontothe interior of the car.

Another object is to prevent the formation of ice in the spaces providedbetween the bars of the ice-supporting grate of the bunker thereby tomaintain the maximum circulation of air in the bunker; and other objectsas will be manifest from the following description.

Referring to the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a cross sectional view of a refrigerator car a portion ofthe section being through the ice bunker and the remainder thereofthrough the car in front of the bunker, the section being indicated atthe line 11 on Fig. 2 and viewed in the direction of the arrows. V

Figure 2 is a plan sectional view through one bunker-equipped end of thecar; and

Figure 3, a broken section taken at the line 3-3 on Fig. 1 and viewed inthe direction of the arrows.

Referring to the particular illustrated embodiment' of my invention, therefrigerator car represented generally at 4 is provided, in accordancewith common practice, with an ice bunker at each end thereof soconstructed as to permit the warm air at the top of the space carryingthe lading to be cooled by the ice in the bunker and thence, inrefrigerated condition, discharge into the lower portion of thelading-space; and as the construction at both ends of the car is thesame, the description will be directed to one end only thereof. 7

The ice bunker comprises an ice container, or basket, representedgenerally at and formed of upwardly extending perforated walls 6, 7, 8and 9 disposed in a rectangular arrangement, these walls by way ofexample being formed of heavy wire mesh as illustrated, the structurethus provided and which serves to retain the ice in position againstlateral displacement, being open at its top and in vertical alinementwith hatchways 10 lo cated in the roof of the car at opposite sides ofits median line and provided with removable closures 11.

The perforated Walls 8 and 9 are spaced from the sides 12 and 13 of thecar and the wall 6 from the end wall 16 of the carto provide verticalair passages 14 and 15 at the sides of the car and a vertical airpassage 17 the end thereof, the corners of the basket being connectedwith vertical spacer bars 18, 19, 20 and 21 disposed between the basketand the adjacent vertical walls of the car.

The walls of the basket 5 also comprise vertical perforated structures22 which extend inwardly from the side walls 6, 7 8 and 9 of the basket5 causing the interior contour of the walls of this basket to be ofgeneral convoluted form and forming a series of bays. The members 22- asshown, and by prefer-' ence, are in the form of perforate d members ofarc shape in plan, as for example of wire mesh, bent. into the shapereferred to and held in place by bolts 23 passing throughthe members 2-2and anchored in the walls 12, 13 and 16 of the car and in a bulkhead,hereinafter referred to, positioned in front of the basket 5. To ensurerigidity of the wall structure of the basket vertical spacing studs 24-and are provided and through which the bolts :23 pass, the studs 24being interposed between the convexed walls of the mem bers 22 the sidewalls of the basket opposing it and the s uds 25 being located betweenthese side walls and the adjacent upright walls of the car and thebulkhead referred to. The basket structure described extends, as shown,from a point above the floor 26 of the car to substantially the bottomsof the hatchways, and extending in front of, and in spaced relation to,the wall 7 of the basket is the bulkhead above referred to andrepresented at 27 and providing a vertical air-passage between it andthe wall 7. This bulkhead is formed of a solid wall portion 28 extendingentirely across the car, its lower edge being at substantially the sameelevation as the lower edge of the surrounding wall structure of thebasket 5 and its upper edge terminating short of the ceiling of the carthus providing an opening 29 filled with a wire mesh member 30.

The bottom of the basket 5 is in the form of the space defined by thewalls 6, 7 8 and 9 of the basket. The bars forming the grate structurecomprise long shallow bars 31 and shorter deeper bars 32 alternatingwith the bars 31. the bars 31 and 32 being secured together in spacedapart relation by the tie rods 33 extending therethrough and throughspacers 34 between these bars. By way of example, the bars 31 may bethick and 1 deep, the bars 32 thick and 5 deep and the spacing betweenadjacent bars 31 and 32 approximately 1%.

The grate structure thus provided is supported, in spaced relation tothe bottom of the car, at the ends of the bars 31 which rest upon ledges35 and 36 formed as parts of parallel flanged channel irons 37 and 38,respectively, located beneath the walls 7 and 6, respectively, and towhich these walls are secured, the channel iron 37 being supported onvertical brackets 39 and the channel iron 38 on blocks iO in verticalregistration with the studs 25.

As will be understood from the foregoing description the air warmed inthe process of refrigerating the lading in the car rises to the upperportion of the car and flows through the perforated wall 30 into the icebunkers in the opposite ends of the car thence flowing downwardlythrough the spaces between the perforated walls 6, 7, 8 and 9 of thebaskets and the adjacent walls of the car and the bulkheads and throughthe spaces defined by the members and the walls of the baskets adjacentthereto and also through the ice mass, thus causing the warm air tocontact with the ice in the baskets and become refrigerated, therefrigerated air thence flowing to the bottom of the lading-spacethrough the openings below the bulkheads 27.

As will be understood the greater the area ofice exposed to the air tobe refrigerated the greater the possibility of reducing the temperatureof the air to freezing temperature. Thus by constructing the baskets asdescribed, relatively large areas of ice are exposed to the aircurrents, the ice more or less conformingly contacting with the members22 and the portions of the perforated walls 6, 7, 8 and 9 between themembers 22, and furthermore air passages of relatively largecross-section are provided.

The deep bars 32 of the grate depend into a position in which therefrigerated air currents, upon flowing from the spaces between thewalls 6 of the baskets and the rear walls 16 of the car toward thelading-space and thus under the baskets, flow along, and in contactwith, the bars 32, this feature of my construction being of greatadvantage in that freezing of the water in the spaces between the gratebars with consequent plugging of the grate and throttling of thecirculation of air through the ice mass and grate and hindrance to thedesired free circulation of the air, is prevented; it being well knownthat application of pressure to ice causes its melting point to becomeraised, the metling water becoming re-frozen on the grate bars, unlessprevented, due to the cold temperature of the bars and producing theplugging of the spaces therein. By the construction described the bars32 are subjected to the warming action of the air flowing against themand slightly above freezing temperature thus maintaining the temperatureof the bars 32 above freezing, the water in flowing down on these barsmaintaining them in wet condition and thus enhancing the transference ofheat from the air to the bars 32.

It has been found in practice that the bars 32 need not extend entirelyacross the basket to function satisfactorily in the manner above statedand thus by providing them of the relatively short length as shownconsiderable saving of metal, with consequent economy of construction,is effected.

In practice the ice in the bunkers is frequently salted to augment therefrigerating effect and accordingly the temperature at which theresultant brine solution freezes, would be lower than the freezingtemperature of plain water. However, the action of the refri erated aircurrents on the deep bars 32 as described would, in case salt were used,result in preventing the freezing of the brine flowing down these bars,it being my intention that the expression freezingtemperature as used inthe specification and claims, be construed as meaning a temperaturesufficient to prevent freezing of the liquid flowing down on the bars 32whether the liquid be plain water or a solution which freezes belowplain-water-freezing temperature, under which latter condition thetemperature of the bars 32 produced by the air currents may be belowthat at which plain water freezes.

While I have illustrated and described a particular constructionembodying my invention, I do not wish to be understood as intending tolimit it thereto as the same may be variously modified and alteredwithout departing from the spirit of my invention. Thus, if desired, andby way of example of a modification of the construction shown, thegrate, instead of being formed of the two depths of bars, may be formedof deep bars on y.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In a refrigerator car ice bunker, the combination of an ice-baskethaving perforated side walls, ice-supporting means at its lower end,walls surrounding said basket and spaced from the walls of the latter toprovide air passages therebetween, perforated members at the inside ofcertain of said walls of said basket and therewith defining otherupwardly extending air-passages, spacers in said last-referred-to airpassages, spacers in certain of said first-referred-to air passages, andsecuring devices clamping together said members, spacers, the wallagainst which said spacers extend and the adjacent one of saidsecondreferred-to walls.

2. An ice bunker formed of spaced apart upwardly extending outer andinner walls, said inner walls being perforated, and a grate forsupporting ice in the tank, said grate having portions positioned to becontacted by the air flowing through said space and below the grate andpartially refrigerated by the ice, said grate being warmed thereby abovefreezing temperature.

3. In a refrigerator car ice bunker, the combination of a basket havingupwardly ex tending walls, a grate at the bottom thereof, and structurewhich with certain of said walls forms an upwardly extending air passagethrough which partially refrigerated air flows beneath said basket, saidgrate comprising bars spaced apart, certain of said bars extending intothe path of .said partially refrigerated air, for the purpose set forth.

4. In a refrigerator car ice bunker, the combination of a basket havingupwardly extending walls, a grate atthe bottom there of, and structurewhich with certain of said walls forms an upwardly extending air passagethrough which partially refrigerated air flows beneath said basket, saidgrate comprising relatively long and shallow bars and relatively deepbars interspersed, said deep bars extending into the path of the saidpartially refrigerated air, for the purpose set forth.

5. In a refrigerator car ice bunker, the combination of a basket havingupwardly extending walls, a grate at the bottom thereof, and structurewhich with certain of said walls forms an upwardly extending air passagethrough which partially refrigerated air flows beneath said basket, saidgrate comprising relatively long and shallow bars and relatively deepbars arranged alternately, said deep bars extending into the path of thesaid partially refrigerated air, for the purpose set forth.

6. In a refrigerator car ice bunker, the combination of a basket havingupwardly extending walls, a grate at the bottom thereof, and structurewhich with certain of said walls forms an upwardly extending air passagethrough which partially refrigerated air fiows beneath said basket, saidgrate comprising relatively long and shallow bars and relatively deepbars interspersed, said deep bars extending into the path of the saidpartially refrigerated air for the purpose set forth, and means securingsaid bars together.

7. In a refrigerator car ice bunker, the combination of a basket havingupwardly extending walls, a grate at the bottom thereof, and

structure which with certain of said walls forms an upwardly extendingair passage through which partially refrigerated air flows beneath saidbasket, said grate comprising relatively long and shallow bars andrelatively deep bars interspersed, said deep bars extending into thepath of the said partially refrigerated air for the purpose set forth,means securing said bars together, and means engaged by the ends of saidrelatively long bars for supporting said grate.

8. In a refrigerator car ice bunker, the combination of a basket havingupwardly extending walls, a grate at the bottom thereof, and structurewhich with certain of said walls forms an upwardly extending air passagethrough which partially refrigerated air flows beneath said basket, saidgrate COID- prising relatively long and shallow bars and relatively deepshorter bars interspersed with said long bars, said deep bars extendinginto the path of the said partially refrigerated air, for the purposeset forth.

9. The process of preventing formation of ice in the interstices betweenassembled masses of ice which comprises subjecting the lower portion ofsaid masses to the warming action of partially refrigerated air flowingabout and below the same.

10. A method of refrigeration which comprises passing a portion of airto be cooled through interstices between assembled masses ofrefrigerant; passing another portion of the air into contact with theoutside of the assembled masses and below the same; and subjecting thelower portions of the assembled masses to the warming action of the lastnamed air portion.

RAYMOND C. PIERCE.

